Rubbish Check
BBC Business · 9 September 2026
source“Share Energy to increase electricity prices by 12.6%”
R1/ 10
Base fact
Rubbish Rating — 1 = base fact, 10 = pure rubbish
12345678910
In short
Rubbish Talk rates BBC's headline that "Share Energy to increase electricity prices by 12.6%" a 1/10 because that is exactly, precisely what happened, confirmed word-for-word by the supplier and the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland.
The Verdict
Base fact. The headline states the single verifiable number, the 12.6% tariff rise, with no adjective, no editorialising verb, no cherry-picked angle. The body immediately supplies the context a reader needs: the reason for the rise, the cash impact, and the wider market picture. This is what a clean headline looks like.
What actually happened
Northern Ireland electricity supplier Share Energy confirmed it will raise its standard tariff by 12.6% from 1 October, citing sustained wholesale cost volatility tied to the Ukraine war and Middle East instability. The October 1 increase will add around £129 to the average annual household bill for keypad customers and those on the supplier's standard 'Share 24' tariff, taking it to around £1,200 per year. The rise follows similar recent moves by other NI suppliers.
Key facts
- Headline tariff rise: 12.6%, effective 1 October, confirmed directly by Share Energy CEO Damian Wilson.
- Cash impact: a typical Share Energy credit customer or prepayment customer will see their annual electricity costs rise by around £129 per year, the Consumer Council said.
- Customer base affected: Share Energy has 41,092 customers, 417 commercial and 40,675 domestic.
- Wider market context: wholesale natural gas, which is used to generate around half of all electricity consumed in Northern Ireland, has reached the highest price since December 2022.
- Regulator reaction: "This is very unwelcome news for around 41,000 Share Energy consumers," said Raymond Gormley, Head of Energy Policy at the Consumer Council.
- Company's counter-pledge: Share Energy says it remains committed to sharing 50% of profits with customers, with a first payout potentially arriving in 2028.
What to watch for
Gormley flagged that "I suspect some of the other unregulated suppliers may follow suit and increase their tariffs," so watch for further NI supplier announcements this autumn. Also worth tracking: whether Share Energy's "operationally profitable since April" claim survives into an actual 2028 profit-share payout, and whether wholesale gas prices ease before winter, which would test the company's promise to pass falling costs back to customers.
About this scoreThe R-Score is Rubbish Talk's editorial opinion on how far a headline's framing sits from what the underlying facts support. It is a judgement about presentation and emphasis, not an allegation that any outlet has acted dishonestly. Every figure we rely on is linked under Receipts so you can check it yourself.
